One year after weight loss surgery, sheriff’s half the man he was

Gaston County’s High Sheriff, Alan Cloninger, is a happy man now, with his new body and new life.

Bill Williams

GastonCounty’s High Sheriff, Alan Cloninger, is a happy man now, with his new body and new life.

He has a new stomach, you see, and a new weight that makes him proud. During the past year, he has dropped to 220 pounds, leaving 95 pounds somewhere along the way. His goal had been to get down to 225.

Cloninger has always been large, even as a kid. He liked to eat. Really liked to eat. It felt so good going down. All the while, he was getting bigger and bigger.

He was overweight in grammar school, high school and college, and overweight as a police officer, an attorney and as Gaston’s sheriff.

And then another factor reared its offensive head: diabetes. Being overweight was one thing. Diabetes was like touching a spark to a combustible. That was 10 years ago.

His doctors tried to control his diabetes with medicines. He was taking insulin shots twice a day, along with four pills for high blood pressure.

His doctors gave up on trying to treat him with medicine. They said that surgery was necessary. They referred him to Carolinas Weight-Loss Management in Charlotte. He visited them and the process begun.

Doctors there gave him two choices: a full gastric bypass or a sleeve.

A full bypass is when the stomach is disconnected from the esophagus, and the stomach just lies there. A new stomach is built, the small intestine is bypassed and the stomach is attached to the large intestine.

He and the doctors chose the sleeve. They gave him a vertical sleeve gastrostomy that removes part of the stomach to make it permanently smaller and helps an individual eat less. The remaining stomach, or “sleeve,” will initially hold about one-fourth of a cup of liquid, but eventually, will hold 1 cup of food.

So, it was on Sept. 18 last year that weight-loss doctors at Charlotte’s Mercy Hospital performed the operation.

Two weeks before surgery, Cloninger went on a protein diet. He was taking liquid unsweetened shakes and a salad at night, trying to shrink the liver and provide more room for the surgery.

He said: “They blow you up like a balloon and do it laparoscopic, much less invasively.”

He went to the hospital on Tuesday and was out on Friday. That was the day of his last pain medicine. On Monday morning, he held a staff meeting at his house. The following Monday, he was back at work. He worked half a day for two weeks, and then full time.

After surgery, he was put on liquid protein shakes for two weeks and pureed food, low-sugar content and no more than half a cup to one cup. Six weeks later, he started eating regular food.

On his last meal before surgery, the sheriff had gone to a steak house and had a 32-ounce, bone-in rib eye. He held it up to show to friends, ate it and enjoyed it, along with half of a 23-ounce lobster, plus sides of potatoes, mushrooms and salad.

Now, he eats less than six ounces of food for a meal, but has snacks with crackers when he wants.

On the day of surgery, his doctor took him off insulin shots and his oral diabetes medicine, along with two blood-pressure medicines. After the first three months, his diabetes readings dropped to normal.

He now has two blood-pressure medicines and one cholesterol prescription, plus a lot of vitamins. He said that for the rest of his life, he will be taking a lot of vitamins.

The sheriff of Gaston County is a smart dresser. He is 55 years old, 6 foot 2 and now weighs 220 pounds. In losing 95 pounds, he has had to buy a lot of new clothes.

There was a time when he wore size 46 pants; today, the size is 38 and almost 36. He wore a 3X extra-large tall shirt. Now, an extra-large tall shirt. He has had to buy new clothes three times.

He religiously waits for the sales and is there when the doors open.

Today, he is a new man in many respects. He likes himself — the way he looks, the way he acts, the way he thinks. He has more patience.

He used to spend around $700 a month on medicine. Now, he spends $200. He and his wife go out to eat at local restaurants. They order one plate and split it.

He says: “I feel wonderful. My knees don’t hurt. I have energy. I sleep well at night. And I tell anyone struggling with weight that this is a worthwhile surgery … but don’t do it unless you are serious about it.”

He will tell you that surgery is not a cure for being overweight. That you have to be committed to change the way you eat for the rest of your life for the procedure to be successful.

He said that surgery has given him a new chance to live a better and a healthier life and that he would be glad to speak to anyone who might be interested.

His phone number is 704-913-0340.

Bill Williams is a former editor of The Gaston Gazette and has contributed to its pages for more than 61 years.

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